The Seventh (April) All-Russia Conference of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.)

APRIL 24–29, 1917

Speech on the Situation within the International

      and the Tasks of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.)

      April 29 (May 12)

ComradeZinovievadmitted that our visit to Stockholm would be the last one, and
      that we would only be there for the purpose of
information.[1]

WhenGrimm invited us to the conference, I refused to go,
      because I realised that it would be useless to talk to people
      who stood forsocial-chauvinism.
      We say: “No participation with social-chauvinists.” We come and
      address ourselves to theZimmerwald
      Left. Grimm had a moral and formal right to draw up today’s
      resolution. His right was based onKautskyin Germany, onLonguetin France. This is how the matter stands officially: Grimm has
      announced, “We will disband our bureau, as soon as Huysmans
      organises a bureau.” When we said that such a solution was not
      acceptable to Zimmerwald, he agreed, but said “this is the
      opinion of the majority”—and that was true.

Asto our visit. “We shall get information, we shall get in
      touch with the Zimmerwald Left,” it is claimed. There is very
      little hope of our winning over anybody else. Let us have no
      illusions; first, the visit will not take place; second, if it
      does, it will be our last; third, we cannot, for technical
      reasons, win over the elements that wish to break with the
      social-chauvinists. But let Comrade Nogin make the first and
      Comrade Zinoviev the last visit to Stockholm. As for me, I
      express the very legitimate wish that this “last-visit” attempt
      should be made as quickly and successfully as possible.

[1]Thisrefers to participation in the proposed third conference of the
      internationalist socialists due to beheld in Stockholm on May 18,
      1917.
It was held in August 1917. By decision of the April Conference, the Bolsheviks
      attended it. Lenin disagreed with this decision and voted
      against the resolution on the situation in the International and
      the tasks of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.).Lenin considered attendance of the Bolsheviks at this conference possible
only for purposes of information.

      He wrote about this in his pamphletThe Tasks of the Proletariat
      in Our Revolution(see p. 82 of this volume).  In the postscript
      to the pamphlet, written in May 1917, Lenin calls this decision of
      the conference a mistake (see pp. 89–90 of this volume).